Found Deceased CO - Suzanne Morphew, 49, did not return from bike ride, Chaffee County, 10 May 2020 #18

[gitana1]

I’m leaning to this not being a suicide. If you read her Twitter account you clearly see she was a very spiritual and religious person. IMO If she did consider this as a way out, at least she would have left a suicide note.

Unless, someone is covering up her suicide and staging it as a disappearance for insurance reasons?

But I think insurance wouldn’t pay out without a body and an accident.

 

[MassGuy]

Based on actual evidence that has been made public, I am not convinced that Barry Morphew is guilty at all:

1. His demeanor in the self-made video has been dissected ad nauseum. I just can't believe that a 30-second video can lead a person who does not know Barry Morphew to reliably predict whether he is lying or not.

2. The police searches of his home and work location indicate that investigators believe that he may have been involved. However, AFAIK, the search warrant probable cause affidavits are still sealed. Until I can at least read the PCAs, this fact doesn't sway me toward believing that Barry Morphew did anything.

To be honest, the fact that the PCAs are still sealed weeks after the searches makes me suspicious of investigators: The searches are complete, presumably in a professional fashion. What further need compels documents that are legally presumed to be public records to remain hidden from public scrutiny?

3. His behavior/silence since Suzanne went missing doesn't sway me either. The conventional wisdom is that the husband/boyfriend is always suspected. With that in mind, why would a husband/boyfriend make any public statements that are likely to lead to conjecture against him anyway? Heck, Barry Morphew has been crucified for making a video in which he was trying to get Suzanne back!

I'm not saying that I know that Barry Morphew had no involvement. He may have. I am saying that publicly available hard evidence is nil. Moreover, nobody seems to have a factual basis for a motive on Barry Morphew's part to harm Suzanne: neither family member nor friend has come forward with an allegation of a financial need or a marital relationship concern that would create a motive. Until there is some evidence made public or a person goes on the record to establish a viable motive, I'm simply not prepared to suspect Barry.

I have yet to see a search warrant made public in any Colorado case until after the probable cause hearing. Even then, I’ve yet to see them all released.

Moreover, I’ve yet to see either the DA’s office or law enforcement admit to the existence of a warrant before the legal process begins.

If one were to contact the court, they will be told something along the lines of “search warrants are confidential, and the court can provide no information.”

And that’s if you ask the simple question “how many warrants have been executed?”

Hypothetically. If someone had contacted the court last Tuesday...

 

[TxGidget]

BBM:

I do think that was one of the reasons for the June 10th canvassing.

LE wants to demonstrate they considered all plausible scenarios before ruling them out.
They want to show their work to a jury, i.e., that they followed the evidence where it led them, versus having tunnel vision and only considering evidence that fit their theory.

I'm also convinced that's why LE included a picture of SM with her bike helmet alongside a casual photo of her on the missing person poster.

It's going to weaken any defense argument that LE made a "rush to judgment" in this case, that they never seriously entertained the theory that she may have actually gone for a bike ride that day, blah, blah, blah and blah.

If a defense attorney attempts to raise that issue in court, LE will now be able to counter, "Oh, but we did seriously consider that possibility. That's why we included the photo of her with her bike helmet on our missing poster."

And there's this, too:
We don't know whether or not LE found her helmet during their searches.
If SM's helmet was/is missing, LE obviously wants the public to keep an eye out for that evidence.
If they've found it, it's abundantly clear that Sheriff Spezze doesn't want anyone, including BM, to know.

What I'm seeing and hearing from LE has me very, very impressed.
Which is to say, I love the fact that they're keeping virtually everything close to the vest.
I love their silence, because it's abundantly clear that BM hates it.

Somebody else is pulling the strings now.
The puppeteer has become the puppet.

Advantage: LE.

JMO.

I would agree with you if a handful of members of LE canvassed the small community for an afternoon to create the appearance of casting a wider net. But, IMO, assembling 24 CBI and LE officers seems like something altogether different to me. I sense a serious need for new tips. JMO....

 

[KLM6]

One step further, what are the odds on premeditated vs crime of passion?

I go back and forth with this. One little mistake can ruin the best of plans. But with money and resources seemingly available here, I would think this would have happened further from home with less "evidence" needed if it was preplanned. Jmo.

 

[lamlawindy]

I have yet to see a search warrant made public in any Colorado case until after the probable cause hearing. Even then, I’ve yet to see them all released.

Moreover, I’ve yet to see either the DA’s office or law enforcement admit to the existence of a warrant before the legal process begins.

If one were to contact the court, they will be told something along the lines of “search warrants are confidential, and the court can provide no information.”

And that’s if you ask the simple question “how many warrants have been executed?”

Hypothetically. If someone had contacted the court last Tuesday...

I forgot that Colorado uses probable cause hearings. We don't use them here in Indiana: a judge either does or doesn't find probable cause when the charges are filed.I still don't like the idea of documents so foundational to the reason for the granting of a search warrant to be held undisclosed for a long time.

 

[IHAVENOCLUE]

Just another crazy idea. What if SM wasn’t happy and she planned the perfect disappearing act? And it actually worked?? And what if BM suspects that she planned it and knows that he is partly responsible? I know, highly unlikely, but we are going to need to talk about something, if what some sleuthers are predicting is true, and that is that it might be ‘years’ before we find out anything.

For the sake of exploring any and all angles...

Could SM have gone to a women's shelter for DV violence...
And decided to not have ANYONE know of her location as that info. could get back to BM?

(Note: There has not been ANY evidence brought to light that indicates there was any DV in the M's home.)

This is just a thought...

 

[susiQ]

Just a random theory having absolutely no basis in fact:

Perhaps when the Ms relocated to CO, they were befriended by someone through BM's work -- someone who periodically worked with BM on jobs, and one who became a trusted friend of the family. This friend could certainly have become privy to individual and family routines (such as hikes, bike rides, etc.) and potentially would know of planned absences. And maybe over time, that friend developed a preoccupation with SM, potentially misreading her kindness towards him as something more than simply friendship. Is it possible I wonder, that SM may have become uncomfortable with the relationship and rebuffed any advances that may have been made toward her? And could this have resulted in her disappearance (whether that be by reason of abduction or outright murder?)

I suppose I could entertain that theory IF I believed SM was still alive on Sunday, which I don’t. Revealing for me was BM’s significant pause when asked by Tyson Draper about when last he/others last saw/spoke to SM. He never answers that question directly, he takes a long pause to think and then proceeds to evade the question, bluffing through. However, he likely wasn’t able to do that with LE. He was just selling his “story” to TD, hoping for public support because he wasn’t feeling the love from LE. Speaking of love, nothing in his plea exuded any real emotion or love for his missing wife. I’m telling you, if I went missing and my hubby put out a plea like that, our children would be looking at him sideways. If I were still alive, I’d find my way back and slap him upside the head.

Another thing, if said admirer killed her at home, why would he need to turf the bike down the hill? Running her down on her bike, would have caused significant injury and left evidence. Labour intensive too, dragging her up to take her away seeing they haven’t found a body. And wouldn’t BM KNOW if someone was paying too much attention to his wife? Wouldn’t SM have confided in BM that she’s uncomfortable around a certain individual? I’m more inclined to think he may have been showing too much attention to someone else. Much more likely in these cases as we’ve seen all too often. Oh, an let’s not forget money! It always seems to factor in too. I was less than impressed with BM’s offer of $100,000 for her safe return. Easy peasy when you know you’ll never have to cough it up. I’m miffed too about how he tells TD, “I’VE got a reward.” Yeah right. Conveniently forget someone else put up half of it.

Too much of BM’s story just doesn’t add up and if we see it, LE know it. And, all of it rests on SM having taken a bike ride on May 10th. It appears LE know, someway, somehow, that SM did NOT go on a bike ride and that someone isn’t telling “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth” and God doesn’t enter into it.

JMHO

 

[branmuffin]

What I’m seeing, based on the number of likes this post is getting, many fellow sleuthers are 95% sure the spouse is guilty.

If there is no arrest in the next 12 months, do the odds drop down from 95% on the spouse?

Not for me. BM seems a pragmatic soul. He has no issues with ensuring business deals continue to go through. Life is for the living, as they say.

If I'm wrong, I'll print my mea culpas at that time.

 

[LietKynes]

I think that if the defense tries to show that LE used "groupthink" and zeroed in too early on one suspect, there will be several days of testimony from three different agencies about the various leads they checked out and how many tips they followed. The jury will likely be very impressed by the thoroughness of this group.

This is not Spezze's first rodeo, not by a long shot.

As to your last sentence, I do not think it will be applicable in this case, just as it wasn't in the Patrick Frazee case. I also don't think it will work in the Gannon Stauch case - and especially not Suzanne's case.

The phrase "an investigator" is a curious choice, as in this case, there are many different investigators. The early days focused on tracking and dogs, and surely some information came out of that (about where Suzanne wasn't). At that point, while BM may have been a POI for LE, LE says they worked to rule out suicide and mountain lion. They looked for evidence of abduction and found none. I'm sure the actual individuals, dog handlers and so on would be happy to testify.

However, in Colorado, I believe it is the case that if the defense intends to try and point the finger at someone other than the defendant, they have to so state and the Judge will require them to provide cause before the jury is even selected. Any line of questioning that tries to head toward "another candidate may have done it" will be strictly managed by the Judge.

Someone will correct me if I'm wrong. At any rate, I think the main investigators in this case will be able to show they did not narrow down too quickly (the canvasing alone shows they're trying to cast as wide a net as possible).

All moot if this never gets to trial.

bbm
Agreed.
LE have diligently examined all angles of this case !
Imo sheriff Spezze had reason to call in outside assistance after the first day or two.
I'm certain he has his reasons and he possibly has more inside information about the Morphews than the rest of us.

Re. the bolded : I think it's safe to say now that Suzanne was not abducted, nor a suicide or an animal attack.
The only scenario in which I can imagine an abduction would be a kidnapping orchestrated by someone else.
Imo.

 

[dkryder]

I view it as a premeditated hit by BM with a lot of subdued passion as driving force. SM final resting place was maybe prepared several months before she disappeared. BM had means and opportunity to bury a 55 gal. drum upright 2ft below ground level on some remote property he had access to. When the time came to "bury" SM it was lose dirt. Could of even had a bush or small tree already planted above. If it had been entirely a thing of in the moment of passion then all the things after the act itself would need to be taken care of with too much room for error. Pure speculation and MOO.

 

[kkdj]

Seems like SM and Barbara Thomas met the same fate and the last people to see them each of them was their husband. (I'm assuming the last person SM saw was BM.)
I doubt either of them will ever be found. jmo

 

[LietKynes]

Think about it.
BM knows when he last saw or spoke with Suzanne.
We don't know.
LE doesn't know (the request to save camera footage from the 8th).

So why is this ?
All clues lead back to the same source.
MOO

 

[Fireflize]

I'm just going to put this out there. Please don't mind my postulating.
I think about this case everyday. I try not to but here I am.
I can't help thinking about that abandoned small house that TD went past in his travels. I'm sure there are many like it, and other hovels that could inhabit a recluse. Unless, 'someone' put her there by design in order to hide her.
IMO, that is the only way SM could be alive.
There have been two cases where I can recall someone 'stole' a woman, only two but I'm not as adept as the rest of you.
And, I do believe they could put a bike up against a tree toward a creek, or whatever it is, whichever the case.
I, like everyone else, would love to hold out hope that SM is alive.

But then there's another thorn (actually a few) in my side, so to speak.
I know that the DM or the DF (as it's been called) can really mess up in it's reporting, however, I fail to believe that they made up the original story of BM being at a fire dept training session in Denver out of whole cloth.
Someone had to have said that for the fire chief to correct it, otherwise it would've been moot, IMO.

You make a great point. Where did DM get that fire dept training story? They could have fabricated it, but I think they heard it from someone. Could have been a wild speculation from someone local? If it came from BM, and there was no training, that would have been really stupid. Moo

 

[Dave F.]

A recent episode of Plunder mentioned an interesting point, that SM isn't on the FBI Missing Person/Wanted/kidnap list. What would be the reason for that? Just curious.
Kidnappings & Missing Persons | Federal Bureau of Investigation

It can't have anything to do with the focus of the investigation. Kristen Smart is listed. Once her investigation focused, it has never been anything BUT a murder investigation focusing on one suspect.

I did notice that in every listing that I checked, an FBI Field Office is listed as the primary contact to report information. This leads me to suspect that it is the FBI Special Agent who is responsible for the listing. In the case under discussion in this forum, the FBI has been included in the sheriff's acknowledgements but no Special Agent assigned to the case has ever been named publicly. IMO

https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/kristin-denise-smart/@@download.pdf

 

[Madeleine74]

No, what you mentioned definitely does not surprise me. What surprises me is that none of their family and friends (none here in Indiana that I've read about anyway) have mentioned anything being out of the ordinary, not even a "they would argue in front of people to the point that I was uncomfortable" or "she had to put up with a lot of household demands from him in terms of cleaning, laundry" or some such anectdotes.

Maybe nothing was witnessed by friends that would be red flags and need to be shared. Or, maybe something was witnessed, and they're not saying *publicly*. We need to remember that BM is likely a POI for LE, but still free and able to travel. How wise would it be to make any disparaging comments publicly about the family or BM? He and his family would certainly become aware of those comments and know or learn who was saying what.

*If* any friends noticed something amiss, hopefully they've now shared that with LE.

Another thought: would it actually assuage the public to hear, once or twice, "they're a wonderful couple, SM's always been very sweet and friendly and caring and BM is devoted to his family?" In fact there has been at least one such comment made, if not more, in an article and/or on social media, and that hasn't been enough times or enough people, because complaints have still occurred.

/IMO

 

[Madeleine74]

Regarding any K9s used in this case:

I admit I'm a big fan of dogs in general and trained K9s specifically being used to help follow a track or help locate people (or alert if they detect the odor of decomp).

No, K9s not a perfect tool and I don't think I or anyone else has said they are. But *IF* a dog has alerted, that's a piece of the puzzle that gets my attention. And if several trained dogs were used and *none* of them found a track or alerted, that too would also be something that would get my attention. ("hmmm...wonder what that means...")

Just like *IF* there were zero prints found on SM's bike that too would get my attention because that would be unusual and could be a sign of staging.

IMO

 

[Dave F.]

But I think insurance wouldn’t pay out without a body and an accident.

It is extremely doubtful that a life insurance claim would be paid without a death certificate. With no body, the only alternative process for creating a certificate of death in Colorado is through the civil courts system, and might be expected to take seven years or longer. That can be sped up somewhat if there is a criminal conviction for murdering the missing person which strengthens the civil claim, but the obvious is true..........no life insurance policy is going to pay out if the convicted murderer is the beneficiary. IMO

 

[DizzyB]

Purely hypothetical question regarding the original FF training in Denver. Could it be as simplistic as BM said he was in Denver for FF training and then had to pivot when LE told him it had been cancelled?

 

[Alethea]

I have yet to see a search warrant made public in any Colorado case until after the probable cause hearing. Even then, I’ve yet to see them all released.

Moreover, I’ve yet to see either the DA’s office or law enforcement admit to the existence of a warrant before the legal process begins.

If one were to contact the court, they will be told something along the lines of “search warrants are confidential, and the court can provide no information.”

And that’s if you ask the simple question “how many warrants have been executed?”

Hypothetically. If someone had contacted the court last Tuesday...

Exactly. Investigative records are confidential in most states under state FOIA laws and are exempt from federal FOIA disclosure as long as there is an active investigation. They become public record when LE wants/needs to enter them into court record, which IS public record, unless you get an order to seal.

There is a very good reason to keep search warrants confidential until charges are actually brought: they can harm the reputations of innocent people. LE must investigate credible tips even to rule people or incidents out. That doesn’t mean the press should be able to crucify witnesses or parties who are ruled out as suspects.

 

[redabby]

Purely hypothetical question regarding the original FF training in Denver. Could it be as simplistic as BM said he was in Denver for FF training and then had to pivot when LE told him it had been cancelled?

That is really a possibility I have wondered about, he may have simply forgotten it was cancelled.